Are scrounges harder to come by in your area these days?

I scan the online listings (kijiji up here) on a nearly daily basis. If something's good enough, I'll make a special trip. But lately, my "free firewood" searches have been turning up pallet boards and piles of branches and other junk more often than not.

Not sure if it's the season or something else. The something else would have to be COVID, with more people burning in the backyard and more people scrounging for wood to generate side income. Keep in mind, I live in a big city, where scrounges are already a challenge. A lot of the arborists run firewood businesses as well.

Meanwhile...there are four ash trees in the dog park behind my house marked for removal. A crew came in one day, topped one of them but then stopped due to bad weather. I got a few limb logs, but the rest of the tree is just teasing me every day when I look out the window. They haven't been back in nearly two months!

 

Approach the dog park people with a waiver and ask to remove them and clean it all up. They may give you the ok with the proper legal release.

Wood is still available near me but I haven't seeked it out as I'm stuffed right now. FB marketplace is a new hot spot for scrounging.

 

If you can't get the elms, could you simply drive out of the city and get a whole bunch of wood? I don't know if they have citizens blocked in the city, but if not, I'd roll out on a mission.

 

Timber companies shut down the ability for general public to scrounge on their logging sites some years back already. You could grab anything they left behind (tops, stumps) as long as the site wasn't active.

Then, some a$$holes started cutting off of the log piles that were waiting to be picked up by the trucks. That was bad enough, but the lazy ba$tards would cut just one or two rounds from the logs nearest the road and the rest of the log was then worthless to the timber companies.

So, they shut down any form of scrounging on their lands. Can't really blame them.

 

Lordy, No! As an ex logger, I would too. hacking off tops and butts from the log deck would get you executed if caught here. Stealing from families more than the timber company. I don't know the Ontario area at all. I just figured there was somewhere to cut that wasn't private corporation land.

 

Those days were real nice as far as getting firewood goes.

 

Would if I could...but it's a city park. I would get arrested if I tried to take them down myself. Besides, location isn't great for dropping trees...lots of power lines and homes...best left for professionals.

 

I'm not in desperate need... but I might just do that. It's more for something to do. This work from home, especially with kids at home, is repetitive and boring. I like scrounging for the physical work and change of pace...it's good for the soul!

 

Very good for the soul, and body. I can't imagine working from home on a non physical job. Knowing myself, my stress levels would get high on the third day.

 

I like what I do, don't get me wrong. But you need the balance...if I don't have something physical, where you see tangible results from what you've done, it starts to wear on you.

 

PLENTY of wood around here in Southern New England for the ambitious scrounger (Me). Drive any direction for 15 minutes from me and you'll find wood roadside for the taking.
I seldom go on social media looking for free wood.

Can you contact the tree service grandgourmand and find out when they are returning? Maybe get dibs on the wood too?

 

X2

 

Don't forget about tbe layers and liability these days.

 

I don't know which tree service it was...city contracts it out. It's right behind my house. Since I'm working from home, I'll just walk out and ask them for the wood when they're back. That's what I did last time, and they were happy to have someone reduce their workload. It's just a matter of time. Those trees have been marked for nearly a year...I've been patient so far, and will be patient again.

 

The vast majority of my firewood comes from wooded areas around the properties of family and friends. I am fortunate for that.

 

Scrounges advertised online are still plentiful right now in my area. A lot of storms this past year have kept the supply up. I’m in the habit of checking Craigslist regularly and have been watching a couple “scores”. There’s one of a very large white pine that was advertised as free wood, bring your saw and haul away. Gee, thanks for offering us to do you a favor. At any rate, as of last night the poster had the tree bucked and the rounds are waiting curbside for pickup anytime. NOW I’m on it I’ll head there on the way to work later. This seems to be the case a lot. A tree comes down, owner wants free tree service work in exchange for the wood. Unless it’s a hickory, locust or something I’m really drooling over, I’ll wait for something easier.

 

I got about 3 cords of mixed hardwoods just like that. Ask. Worse case is they say no. Best case is they deliver it free!

 

Thats was a great score you got the nice oak trunks dropped in the yard!

 

I feel for ya sir. Hope ya get those trees at the park. I have so much wood coming at me I don't know which one to get first. Got this load Sunday. The guy even loaded it in my truck while I cut.

 

Wow! That's a good deal. Did you get it all?